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Determinants of Intended Retirement Timing in Germany
... German policymakers have recognised the need to increase older workers' employability. Besides paying wage subsidies they also strive to train older workers and establish the idea of life-long learning (Hess, 2017). An example is the pilot project 'Training of low skilled older workers (WeGebAU)' that funds training costs for older low-skilled workers (Duell & Vogler-Ludwig, 2012). ...
... Research shows that amongst those working beyond the official retirement age, those with high socio-economic status stay in the labour market because of a high identification with their occupation, while for those with low socio-economic status, financial reasons are once again more important (Hess, 2017;Hochfellner & Burkert, 2013;Naegele, 2013). This is supported by the finding that high-skilled workers assume to be able to synchronise their expected to their preferred retirement age, while low-skilled workers expect to have to work much longer than they would like to (Hess, 2016;Hess & Landmann, 2015). ...
Policymakers in all European countries have implemented reforms aimed at delaying retirement and extending working lives mainly to mitigate financial pressure on public pay-as-you-go pension systems and to increase the supply of skilled labour. This could be a reason for an increase of older workers’ labour force participation. This increase was particularly strong in Germany. In the paper at hand, we will answer two research questions: i) how can this steep increase in German older workers’ employment rate be explained? Furthermore, and related to this: ii) have policies for longer working lives fostered inequality? We base our analysis on an extensive literature review and descriptive data analysis. We conclude that the rise of the employment rate of older workers in Germany has several causes. First, the German labour market has performed very well, so that the policy debate has shifted from unemployment to a lack of (skilled) labour. Second, there is a strong increase of female labour market participation. Third, due to cohort effects, today’s older workers are healthier and better skilled than their predecessors. Finally, the pension and labour market reforms aimed at delaying retirement had an effect. However, we also find that lowskilled and low-income workers increasingly have to delay their retirement due to financial reasons. It seems that social inequalities in the retirement transition are increasing in Germany.
... Those with difficulties to make ends meet in contrast plan to retire later. Hess (2017b) finds the same correlation with German data and explains it by financial pressure that can be mitigated with delayed retirement and consequently higher pensions benefits. The positive association between age and planned retirement timing is line with results of Hofäcker et al. (2015). ...
As populations are ageing concerns regarding the sustainability of European welfare states have come to the forefront. In reaction, policy makers have implemented measurements aimed at the prolongation of working lives. This study investigates weather older workers have adapted their planned retirement age, as a result of this new policy credo. Based on data from Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE) the analysis shows an increase of the planned retirement age (1.36 years) across all ten European countries investigated, albeit with country-specific variations. Variations on the individual level can be detected in regard to gender, education and self-reported health status.
... Individuelle Rentenentscheidungen lassen sich ferner durch sozio-demographische Faktoren und den Gesundheitszustand abbilden, sowie auch durch die vorhandenen Anreizstrukturen in dem jeweiligen Sozialversicherungssystem . So untersucht beispielsweise Hess (2017) den Einfluss von Bildungsunterschieden auf das Renteneintrittsverhalten, während andere Studien (u . a . ...
Dieser Beitrag untersucht geschlechterspezifische Unterschiede im Rentenübergang anhand von Persönlichkeitsmerkmalen in Deutschland. Im Mittelpunkt steht dabei die Stimulierung von bestimmten Einstellungen durch die Einführung der Mütterrente in den Jahren 2014 und 2019. Unter Anwendung des SOEP v.34 (2017) wurde die Zusammenhangsstruktur von Renteneintrittsalter und den Big Five untersucht, während zeitgleich für soziodemographische Faktoren, Beschäftigung und Haushaltseinkommen kontrolliert wurde. Dabei wurden konkurrierende Hypothesen durch Querschnittsvergleiche mit OLS-Regressionen für die Jahre 2013 und 2017 getrennt nach Geschlecht getestet. Die Ergebnisse deuten darauf hin, dass eine starke Ausprägung des Persönlichkeitsmerkmals Extraversion (im Sinne einer Neigung zur Geselligkeit und zum Optimismus) bei Frauen zu einem früheren Renteneintritt führt. Dabei entsprechen die Ergebnisse insofern den theoretischen Erwartungen, als dass die Anerkennung typisch weiblicher Leistungen im Rentensystem den negativen Effekt der Extraversion minimiert. Diese Studie leistet einen Beitrag für das Verständnis, wie psychologische Faktoren die Heterogenität in Rentenübergängen erklären können und formuliert Politikempfehlungen.
... Die demographische Alterung -und deren Auswirkung auf die finanzielle Tragfähigkeit sozialer Sicherungssysteme -stellt Forscher*innen, Politiker*innen und Gesellschaften als Ganzes zunehmend vor Herausforderungen (Hess 2017) . Im Zentrum des Diskurses steht dabei neben dem schrumpfenden Erwerbspersonenpotential insbesondere die Sicherstellung der pflegerischen Versorgung einer Gesellschaft, nicht nur mit immer mehr Hochaltrigen, sondern auch mit einer generell steigenden Zahl von pflegebedürftigen Personen (Harper 2015) . ...
Culture Matters - Norms, Employment and informal Care among Older European Women
Against the background of an ageing society women aged between 50 and 65 are facing two challenges. On the one hand they are supposed to extend their working lives and on the other hand they are supposed to give informal care, conflicting the reconciliation of work and care. The study at hand uses SHARE data and explores how contextual factors of the welfare state and a country's culture relate to older women's decision to care. The results show that the familiaristic-conservative values of a society correlated with the probability of older women doing care. The implication is that “Culture Matters” in care politics.
... Darüber hinaus ergibt sich die Frage, inwieweit die aktuelle Debatte, die oftmals diametral in Bezug auf "arbeiten müssen" bzw. "arbeiten wollen" geführt wird Hess 2017), die komplexen Motivlagen, die sich hinter Rentenentscheidungsprozessen verbergen, überhaupt widerspiegelt? ...
Bis wann und unter welchen Umständen Personen im Alter arbeiten wollen bzw. müssen stellt eine kontrovers diskutierte Frage der aktuellen arbeitsmarkt- und rentenpolitischen Debatte dar. Seit 2012 steigt die Altersgrenze für die Regelaltersrente stufenweise an und wird im Jahr 2031 erstmals 67 Jahre erreicht haben. Bereits heute lassen sich jedoch schon Stimmen finden, die die Notwendigkeit einer weiteren Erhöhung des Renteneintrittsalters diskutieren (Börsch-Supan et al. 2016; Kochsämper 2016; Bäcker et al. 2017). Neben der Frage nach der zeitlichen Verschiebung von Renteneintritten ist eine weitere Entwicklung im Kontext der zunehmenden Erwerbsbeteiligung Älterer von Bedeutung: So übersteigt insbesondere die Gruppe der erwerbstätigen Rentnerinnen und Rentner, d.h. diejenigen Personen, die auch über die Regelaltersgrenze hinaus auf dem Arbeitsmarkt verbleiben und zusätzlich zu den ihr zustehenden Rentenbezügen ein Einkommen aus einer Erwerbstätigkeit generieren, alle Wachstumsraten älterer Beschäftigter.
... Darüber hinaus ergibt sich die Frage, inwieweit die aktuelle Debatte, die oftmals diametral in Bezug auf "arbeiten müssen" bzw. "arbeiten wollen" geführt wird Hess 2017), die komplexen Motivlagen, die sich hinter Rentenentscheidungsprozessen verbergen, überhaupt widerspiegelt? ...
Für die meisten Länder in Europa stellt die demographische Alterung am Arbeitsmarkt eine große Herausforderung dar. Neben der Perspektive abhängiger Beschäftigung geraten auch Gründungsaktivitäten Älterer mit Begriffen wie „senior/silver/mature/late career entrepreneurs“ verstärkt in den Fokus. Entsprechende Publikationen wie der Policy Brief „Senior Entreprenership“ der OECD und der Europäischen Kommission oder der Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) geben hier Empfehlungen für politische Akteure, entsprechende Rahmenbedingungen und Möglichkeiten (auch) für Personen 50 Jahre und älter zu schaffen, die sich selbständig machen möchten (OECD und EU Commission 2012; Schott et al. 2017).
... "Spaß an der Arbeit") sind dazu im Gegensatz eher bei Personen höherer Statusgruppen bzw. Bildungsgruppen zu finden (Naegele 2017;Hess 2017). Für letzteres spricht auch, dass Analysen auf Basis des Sozio-ökonomischen Panels (SO-EP) zeigen, dass insbesondere diejenigen mit einem hohen gesetzlichen Renteneinkommen bzw. ...
Zusammenfassung
In den letzten 15 Jahren hat in Deutschland ein rapider Anstieg der Beschäftigungsrate älterer Arbeitnehmender stattgefunden. Innerhalb dieser Gruppe war der Anstieg am steilsten für die über 65 Jährigen. Die Anzahl dieser arbeitenden Rentnern*innen hat sich zwischen 2000 und 2015 mehr als verdoppelt. Noch sind die älteren Arbeitnehmende, die zusätzlich zur Rente arbeiten, wenig in der arbeitswissenschaftlichen und gerontologischen Forschung untersucht und auch in der Praxis scheinen Betriebe und Personalmanager*innen noch unvorbereitet, da kaum organisationale Karriere- oder Laufbahnmodelle für diese Gruppe existieren. Der vorliegende Beitrag beschäftigt sich daher basierend auf Daten der Studie „Transitions and Old Age Potential: Übergänge und Alternspotenziale (TOP)“ mit den Einstellungen noch nicht verrenteter Arbeitnehmender im Alter von 50–65 hinsichtlich einer potentiellen Erwerbstätigkeit im Ruhestandsalter. Die Ergebnisse zeigen, dass sich etwa die Hälfte der Befragten vorstellen kann, während der Rente zu arbeiten. Allerdings ziehen sie flexiblere Arbeitszeit- und Arbeitsortgestaltung vor. Die Diskussion um die Frage inwieweit die Wünsche der erwerbstätigen Rentner*innen zu existierenden Karrieremodellen passen zeigt, dass es nicht „das Karrieremodel“ für Rentner*innen gibt. Eine Personalpolitik für die Gruppe der arbeitenden Rentnern*innen sollte dies berücksichtigen und flexible Karrieremodelle entwickeln.
Im Fokus des Beitrages steht der als paradigmatisch identifizierte normative wie auch strukturelle Wandel – von einer Politik der Frühverrentung hin zu einer des „Aktiven Alterns“. Eingeleitet wurden diese arbeitsmarkt- und sozialpolitischen Reformen, infolge derer sich ältere Arbeitnehmer*innen steigendem Druck zu längerer Erwerbstätigkeit ausgesetzt sehen, dabei jedoch nur unzureichend durch arbeitsmarktpolitische Maßnahmen unterstützt werden. Auf Basis differenzierter Datenanalysen wird der Frage nachgegangen, inwiefern der erkennbare Anstieg der Alterserwerbstätigkeit im Einklang mit den persönlichen Übergangsabsichten und -präferenzen älterer wie auch jüngerer Arbeitnehmer*innen steht, welche sozialstrukturellen Unterschiede sich dabei zeigen, und inwiefern sich das Sparverhalten jüngerer Arbeitnehmer*innen an die sozialpolitischen Imperative privater Altersvorsorge angepasst hat. Im Ergebnis zeigt sich ein umfassendes Bild der Verschärfung sozialer Ungleichheiten im Ruhestandsübergang.
Mit dem Teilhabechancengesetz hat der Gesetzgeber 2019 auf das Problem einer persistierenden Langzeitarbeitslosigkeit reagiert. Konstruiert in Zeiten der Prosperität, haben sich die strukturellen Rahmenbedingungen im Zuge der Corona-Pandemie auch für die Förderung arbeitsmarktferner Langleistungsbeziehender schlagartig verändert. Der Beitrag nimmt eine Zwischenbilanz des sozialen Arbeitsmarktes in Zeiten der Corona-Krise vor. Auf Basis bundesweiter Daten zur Entwicklung der Förderfälle sowie einer vertiefenden Beleuchtung der regionalen Struktur des sozialen Arbeitsmarktes im Ruhrgebiet werden aktuelle Befunde präsentiert sowie Perspektiven dieses arbeitsmarkt- und sozialpolitischen Instruments umrissen. Neben der Exklusivität der Förderstruktur werden eine drohende Legitimationskrise, finanzielle Umschichtungen in Richtung pandemiebedingter Arbeitsmarktfolgen sowie eine abgeschwächte Aufstiegsmobilität in ungeförderte Beschäftigung als zentrale Herausforderungen diskutiert.
The employment rate of Germany’s older workforce (55-65) has shown an impressive increase from the turn of the millennium on (see Figure 1). In the 15 years from 2000 to 2015, it rose from just under 40 per cent to over 60. How can this development be explained and what does it mean for Germany, its economy and welfare state, as well as for German companies and older workers? This chapter tries to answer these questions by first retracing the employment rates for different groups of older workers, then discussing the potential drivers of the increase and its consequences, and concluding with a discussion.
Die Einstellung der deutschen Tarifparteien, insbesondere aber der Gewerkschaften, zur Verlängerung der Lebensarbeitszeit war jahrzehntelang und ist bei vielen noch heute ambivalent. Vor allem in den Branchen, in denen die gesundheitsbedingten Frühverrentungen hoch sind und die Arbeitsbedingungen als überdurchschnittlich belastend gelten, war die Position der hier vertretenen Gewerkschaften stark auf die Beibehaltung von Frühverrentungsoptionen und gegen die „Rente mit 67“ gerichtet. Allerdings wächst auch bei vielen Gewerkschaftsvertreter*innen das Bewusstsein, dass eine Verlängerung der Lebensarbeitszeit in Anbetracht der multidimensionalen Herausforderungen des demografischen Wandels eine Option ist, mit der man sich kritisch und objektiv auseinandersetzen muss. Dennoch dominiert einerseits nach wie vor die Überzeugung, dass besonders die innerbetrieblichen Voraussetzungen dazu flächendeckend derzeit nicht gegeben sind. Andererseits besteht weitgehend Einigkeit darüber, dass den Tarifparteien bei der Herstellung der Voraussetzungen eine wichtige Rolle zukommt. [...]
In the past decade, old age security policies have aimed at providing incentives to prolong employment and change eligibility rules to reduce early retirement options; these are known as Active Ageing measures. Research reveals that extended working lives have altered exit patterns towards a prolongation of the late employment phase. This paper draws on conditions in the organisation of work in the late employment phase. Using fixed effects regression models with the SOEP v33 data, absolute changes in working hours at the individual level measure late career employment. The main results are in line with theoretical considerations and observe reduced hours worked on an individual level. Thus, the trend in reversing early exit patterns indicates a stronger organisation of late employment on the basis of flexible work. Moreover, while female labour participation is increasing, structural differences show a higher female attachment to features of labour flexibility. The conclusions presented concern the changing mode of the German conservative welfare state and reveal a higher degree of individualisation as a balancing mechanism in social policy.
Background
In the last two decades labor market participation for older employees has undergone a gradual political paradigm shift in many European countries from a policy of early retirement to one of extending working lives and active aging.
Objective
This study investigated if this political paradigm shift is causing new social inequalities in retirement transition due to restricted financial possibilities for early retirement.
Material and methods
Data were derived from the European Union Labor Force Survey from the years 2006 and 2012 and selected European countries (Germany, Austria, Sweden and Estonia) were analyzed.
Results
Associations between the specific implementation of the policy of active aging, the freedom of choice in retirement timing and retirement transition were found. It seems that voluntary retirement transitions are highest in those countries where the labor market and social policies are most coherent and aimed at supporting older workers’ employability.
Conclusion
The reduction of early retirement incentives should be supported by active labor market policies and a policy of extensive age-independent further training measures in order to minimize social inequalities.
Zusammenfassung
Der Beitrag untersucht die Strukturen sozialer Ungleichheit in der zeitlichen Gestaltung des Übergangs in den Ruhestand. Das Hauptinteresse gilt den Handlungsspielräumen von in Deutschland lebenden Männern beim Eintritt in den Altersrentenbezug. Die präsentierten Ergebnisse stützen sich auf Auswertungen des Scientific Use File Versichertenrentenzugang 2004. Das verwendete ereignisanalytische Modell berücksichtigt die maßgeblichen Altersgrenzen der Rentenversicherung. Die Ergebnisse verdeutlichen, dass das Timing des Übergangs in den Ruhestand primär von der individuellen Erwerbssituation geprägt wird. Die Wahlfreiheit in Bezug auf den individuellen Zeitpunkt des Renteneintritts ist aufgrund mangelnder Beschäftigungschancen älterer Arbeitnehmer häufig eingeschränkt. Auch gesundheitliche Probleme präjudizieren den vorzeitigen Renteneintritt. Andererseits sind teilweise - wie etwa im Altersteilzeitmodell - finanzielle Frühverrentungsanreize ausschlaggebend für den vorzeitigen Rentenzugang. Späte Renteneintritte werden hingegen vermehrt bei Hochqualifizierten und Gutverdienern beobachtet, wobei ein positiver Zusammenhang von beruflichem Status und Erwerbsneigung zur Geltung kommt. Die Analyse verweist außerdem auf die Relevanz lebenslaufbezogener Normen im Übergang in den Ruhestand. Insbesondere bei Männern mit kurzen Versichertenbiografien, die aufgrund der rentenrechtlichen Wartezeiten lediglich Anspruch auf Regelaltersrente besitzen, erweisen sich die institutionalisierten Renteneintrittspfade als rigide Verlaufsmuster für den Übergang in den Ruhestand.
The scope of explanation for retirement behavior could be greatly enlarged by acknowledging workers' extended engagement with the question before the event-its "givenness" in their future, and their course of action toward it. This study provides evidence for such extended involvement among workers aged 51 to 61 in the 1992 Health and Retirement Study (HRS) who saw themselves being within 15 years of retiring. To the extent that workers foresaw less time left at work, they reported more frequent thinking and talking about retirement. This pattern was quite general. The consideration given to retirement was, as expected, more frequent in circumstances that might orient workers toward the future. However, even absent these circumstances, subjective proximity still predicted the topicality of retirement. Widely held, albeit individual, timetables for retirement demonstrate its embeddedness in the subjective life course of older workers.
Purpose:
This article expands on earlier analyses that assessed whether the recent recession influenced retirement expectations.
Design and methods:
Acknowledging that planning for retirement is a complex process influenced by personal preferences, resources, economic factors, institutional policies, and social norms, we test more comprehensive models than those used in previous studies, using data from the 2006 and 2008 waves (Waves 8 and 9) of the Health and Retirement Study.
Results:
Our results confirm that economic changes impinge on retirement expectations, but they also show stronger influences of other factors such as debts and the work environment.
Implications:
As the baby boom cohorts approach retirement age, it will be important to better understand how workers consider macro factors such as the state of the economy and firm-level factors and personal finances when planning for retirement.
Purpose
The study seeks to investigate individual preference for early or late retirement. The aim is to determine the impact that variables at personal, work and organizational, and retirement‐related levels exert on such preference.
Design/methodology/approach
A questionnaire was submitted to 275 Italian workers, aged from 45 to 63. The “preferred” and “expected” retirement ages were measured, and a preference for retiring before or after the expected age was computed. The questionnaire included personal (e.g. age, income), work and organizational (e.g. work importance, job demands and control), and retirement‐related variables (level of information on pensions and attitudes to retirement). Hierarchical multiple regressions analyses were conducted to test the impact of such variables on the preference for early or late retirement.
Findings
The results show a significant preference for retiring on average three years before the expected age. The preference for postponing retirement is related to chronological age and perception of income adequacy, but also to work variables (work importance, firm policies supporting aged employees) and attitudes to retirement.
Practical implications
Political and organizational strategies concerning old employees should take into account the widespread preference for early retirement. It is, however, possible to encourage late retirement by developing interventions aiming to meliorate working conditions, organizational perceptions and retirement attitudes.
Originality/value
The difference between preferred and expected retirement age may be useful to identify employees preferring late retirement. It is also suggested that certain psychosocial factors are related to such preference. This knowledge is relevant for European policies encouraging employees to stay longer in the workforce.
Over the past twenty-five years, unemployment has been growing continuously in West Germany. In this study one of the reasons for growing unemployment is analysed: unemployment of older people in their transition from employment to retirement. First, the different possibilities of transitions into retirement are explained within the framework of social security regulations. Taking this legal framework as a starting point, early retirement passages are then modelled with the IAB unemployment sub-sample. It will be shown that - due to the long duration of these unemployment episodes - early retirement contributed considerably to the rise of total unemployment. Early retirement patterns will be broken down by economic sub-sectors and establishment size. It turns out that this kind of unemployment originates primarily from large establishments in manufacturing and extractive industries. Multivariate analysis presented at the end of the paper also includes personal characteristics such as gender or skills and income levels. In the light of these findings, the 'push' and 'pull' hypothesis common in explaining early exit are discussed. Drawing on the statistical findings as well as on the institutional analysis, it is argued that both kinds of factors are at work.
Der Beitrag untersucht vergleichend für Deutschland und Großbritannien auf Basis des Deutschen Alterssurveys und der English Longitudinal Study of Ageing, worin sich erwerbstätige Rentner/ -innen von anderen Älteren unterscheiden. In der empirischen Analyse wird besonderes Augenmerk auf die sozio-ökonomische Position der arbeitenden Älteren und die Unterschiede zwischen Deutschland und England gerichtet. Deskriptiv geigen sich deutlich positive Zusammenhänge zwischen Erwerbstätigkeit jenseits der Rentengrenze und Geschlecht, besserer Gesundheit, höherer Bildung und höheren Haushaltsschulden. Zudem sind Personen, die früher in höheren Dienstklassen sowie als kleinere Selbstständige und Freiberufler tätig waren, noch häufiger erwerbstätig als andere. In der multivariaten Betrachtung geigen sich hinsichtlich Bildung und Klasse deutlichere Unterschiede zwischen den Ländern. Bei Kontrolle anderer Einflüsse treten in England zudem positive Effekte für Personen aus den am wenigsten privilegierten Klassen auf, was auf eine größere Relevanz niedriger Einkommen für Erwerbstätigkeit schließen lässt. Der Beitrag endet mit einer Diskussion der Befunde, ihres Zusammenhangs mit institutionellen Unterschieden sowie ihrer sozialpolitischen Relevanz.
In research on pensions and retirement income, it has been frequently reasoned that the economic situation in later life is determined by an interplay of individual and institutional factors. However, previous studies in this field either focus only on individual determinants or on macro-level outcomes using aggregated data. We apply a multilevel approach to examine the impact of institutional factors on the link of individual pension income and previous employment history. The underlying research question is of how national pension systems shape this relationship; whether flexible careers and atypical employment are compensated for or, on the contrary, ‘penalised’ with a low pension income. We combine the life-history data of individuals in 13 European countries from the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARELIFE) with macro-data on national pension systems. While we find little cross-national variation for men, for women the strength of the relationship of employment history and pension income differs between countries and is significantly moderated by factors related to the pension system.
Faced with demographic ageing, European policy makers since the mid-1990s have taken a turn from fostering early retirement to promoting longer working life by reducing early exit incentives and facilitating work continuation. However, it remains open whether these reforms are yet reflected in the retirement plans and preferences of future pensioners’ cohorts. Using most recent data on desired retirement ages from the fifth wave of the European Social Survey (2010/11 wave), this paper empirically investigates how far current policy reforms are in line with the retirement age preferences of older workers aged 45 and over. Results show that older workers approaching retirement ages still intend to retire before the politically envisioned age of 65, and in many cases also before nationally defined standard retirement ages. Despite visible progress in implementing active ageing measures, the challenge of motivating older workers to continue working until or even beyond retirement ages thus remains. At the same time, there are regime-specific problem groups that face difficulties in adjusting to the active ageing paradigm of longer working life. Especially in countries with little employment support, those with unstable work careers, employment interruptions and few financial resources are at a high risk of being crowded out from late career employment and thus from the possibility of ensuring a decent standard of living in old age.
Background:
Population ageing, demographic change and the financial crisis has put the financial sustainability of the German pension system at risk. In reaction to these challenges, Germany recently abandoned generous early retirement policies and moved towards policies encouraging higher employment among the elderly.
Objectives:
In this article we evaluate how these labour market and pension policies affected the retirement decisions of older workers in Germany over the last three decades. Complementing previous research on early retirement, we focus in particular on those working past the mandatory retirement age of 65 years and examine whether the composition of this group of postretirement-age workers has changed over time.
Data and methods:
We analyse pooled cross-sectional data from three rounds of the German Ageing Survey which allow us to cover the last three decades from 1980 to 2008. Estimating multinomial logit models we distinguish explanatory factors on the individual, organizational and institutional level that frame the decision to leave the labour market before the age of 65, to stop working at 65 or to work past 65.
Results:
Over the last three decades, the share of German workers leaving the labour market after the mandatory retirement age of 65 has increased markedly. This trend towards working longer has changed particularly among the low educated workforce which in previous decades traditionally has exhibited a tendency to retire early. In contrast to high-skilled workers, the decision to work longer among low-educated workers is mainly driven by financial need (and is usually not in line with their desire or their ability to work for longer).
Conclusion:
Our findings suggest an increase in social inequality in retirement decisions as a result of the policy shift towards activation. We conclude by arguing for a more fine-grained understanding of the reasons why people work longer. Such research would provide valuable insights into how to design future labour market and pension reforms preventing a rise in social inequalities.
Hintergrund
In diesem Beitrag werden Einflussfaktoren auf die Erwerbstätigkeit im Ruhestand bei Deutschen, Migranten und (Spät-)Aussiedlern analysiert.
Daten und Methoden
Die Untersuchung basiert auf den administrativen Daten der Deutschen Rentenversicherung Bund und der Bundesagentur für Arbeit. Eingeschlossen wurden 25.304 Personen, die im Jahr 2007 eine Altersrente bezogen. Mittels eines binären Wahrscheinlichkeitsmodells werden Faktoren bestimmt, die die Wahrscheinlichkeit beeinflussen, im Ruhestand einer Beschäftigung nachzugehen.
Ergebnisse
Rund 20% der untersuchten Altersrentner gehen einer beruflichen Aktivität im Alter nach, wobei der Großteil lediglich geringfügig beschäftigt ist. Neben der Rentenhöhe bedingen vor allem Erwerbsbiographien, die durch Beschäftigungslücken gekennzeichnet sind, die berufliche Aktivität im Ruhestand. Für Migranten zeigen sich Unterschiede zu Deutschen ohne Migrationshintergrund.
Schlussfolgerung
Die Ergebnisse über eine berufliche Aktivität im Ruhestand lassen den Rückschluss zu, dass es sich hierbei um Personen handelt, die einen Zuverdienst zur Rente benötigen, da die relevanten Einflussgrößen als Indikatoren für eine unzureichende finanzielle Situation im Alter gesehen werden können.
This study examines the relationship between retirement preferences, expressed as preferred retirement age, and actual retirement age in Sweden. The data were drawn from the Swedish Panel Survey of Ageing and the Elderly (PSAE). The PSAE was fielded in 2002 and 2003 with the aim of mapping living conditions of older people in Sweden. The data, which have a powerful longitudinal component, cover a broad spectrum of welfare indicators such as health, daily activities, social interactions, labour market and working conditions, and attitudes towards and experiences of retirement. Cox regression analysis was employed to explore whether and to what extent retirement preferences had any impact on actual retirement age. The results imply that retirement preferences do represent, in relation to other known key factors, an isolated influence on retirement patterns. The introduction of time-dependent variables strengthened this argument by showing how the “hazard” for the timing of retirement varied during the study period: those who preferred to retire close the end point of the study period were more likely to retire at this time than those who preferred to retire after the end of the study period and those who preferred to retire at the beginning of the study period. The results also indicated that the categories that wished to retire close to the beginning of the study period were more likely to retire at this point of time. The study thus provides empirical support for those researchers, debaters and policymakers who have addressed the importance of changing preferences towards later retirement in order to prolong working life.
This essay reviews the changes in the age structure of modern labor markets that have led to a dramatic decline in the employment of older workers. We document this trend and explore future trends, examine different explanations of the role of the welfare state, the labor market, and the life course. Each of these perspectives offers different views into the social meaning of early retirement.
In this article we investigate whether early retirement patterns vary between countries with distinct early retirement systems.
By choosing countries that differ not only with respect to the coverage and generosity of publicly provided pensions but also
with respect to the extent to which the state interferes in the non-public pillars of pension provision, we analyse to what
extent such issues have an effect on individual early retirement behaviour. Selectivity effects are expected to be stronger
in countries with highly fragmented public systems or private early retirement schemes. By pursuing a shift to more private
pension provisions, governments might unintentionally create more inequality in early retirement opportunities among the population.
For the analysis we use longitudinal data, i.e. British Household Panel Study (BHPS) 1991–2004 (the United Kingdom), the German
Socia-Economic Panel (GSOEP) 1990–2005 (Germany, and the Socia-Economics Panel (SEP) 1990–2001 (Netherlands) and a discrete-time
competing-risks model. The results suggest that pursuing a shift from public to private early retirement schemes can lower
the incidence of early retirement. Yet, at the same time, early retirement can get more selective in that only the higher
paid are able to afford it.
For many years, Germany has been regarded in international comparisons as an example of a generous early retirement culture, resulting in a low labor market participation of older employees. Recently, however, employment rates of older employees have increased remarkably. Reasons are the demographic structure of older persons in Germany, a long-term trend of increasing female labor market participation, and reforms in labor-market policies and pension policies during the last 10 years. Despite an increasing labor market participation of older employees, traditional labor market risks for older persons partly remained, but some new risks evolved as well. Therefore, social differentiation among older employees increased.
Although detailed macro descriptions exist, the causes of labor market developments cannot be fully understood with cross-sectional data alone. An important stimulus is to be expected from individual longitudinal data which reflect employment histories and labor market transitions such as employment exit and retirement.
The new Retirement Age Adjustment Act, enacted by the Federal Government in spring 2007 to raise the statutory retirement age to 67 years in Germany, poses a challenge for the jobholders concerned as well as for the companies. Especially older female jobholders are exposed to particular risks regarding their ability to continue working due to the cumulative concurrence of age-specific but also additional gender-specific employment patterns and risks. Their employment situation is influenced by age discrimination in terms of recruitment and human resource management. Furthermore, women were and are confronted with specific obstacles in the course of their working lives, such as, the problem of reconciling work and family life and care giving, lesser opportunities for development and advancement due to sectoral and work organizational circumstances and lower incomes. There has been an increase in part-time arrangements, marginal employment, and temporary jobs, which are all predominantly filled by women. If women do not manage to stay in gainful employment, they do not only individually face an insufficient old-age income but the national economy is also in danger of losing valuable human resources and social security contributions.
. Recent changes in retirement trends and patterns have raised questions about the likely retirement behavior of baby boomers, the large cohort born between 1946 and 1964. This study examined recent changes in retirement expectations and the factors that drove them.
Using data from the Health and Retirement Study, the analysis compared self-reported probabilities of working full time past ages 62 and 65 among workers aged 51 to 56 in 1992 and 2004. The study modeled retirement expectations for both generations and used the estimated regression coefficients to identify the forces that accounted for generational differences.
. Between 1992 and 2004, the mean self-reported probability of working full time past age 65 among workers aged 51 to 56 increased from 27% to 33%. Lower rates of retiree health insurance offers from employers, higher levels of educational attainment, and lower rates of defined benefit pension coverage accounted for most of the growth.
Given the continued erosion in employer-sponsored retiree health benefits and defined benefit pension plans, boomers will likely remain at work longer than members of the previous generation. Lengthier careers will likely promote economic growth, increase government revenue, and improve individual financial security at older ages.